Watching 3 idiots and thinking.....

How often we complain about the uselessness of our education system. It is characterized by rote learning and conventional pedagogy that discourages critical thinking and reasoning. But at the CSS level, one had assumed that the things would be done differently. However, it is sad to find out that, in the name of ‘exam-oriented study’ or ‘smart study’, the same old techniques are being used by the aspirants. The techniques that aim at picking and choosing, eschewing what is deemed as unimportant in the light of past papers, preparing pet answers for the oft-repeated questions, confining yourself to the same old couple of books that gained currency and popularity because some candidates in the past happened to clear the exam with flying colors courtesy these books. Worse, some do not even bother to read books and content themselves with the notes prepared by successful candidates. Notes prepared by the candidates who proved to be successful would surely possess the important points in a concise manner. However, reading notes alone won’t help you in forming a perspective and proper understanding of a particular subject. These and many such techniques have now become part of revered traditions flouting which amounts to no less than social deviation. This is so mostly because the paper patterns and the marks criteria themselves seem to protect this tradition rather reinforce it. When the stakes are so high that your career depends on this examination and when these old techniques, strategy is too serious a word to be used for preparation methodology, have paid off and continue to do so, why would one risk adopting a different(read rational) method.
But even if you tend to think zara hatke-the thought that has now come to be identified with the movie 3-idiots and its three idiots, you will soon be reminded, “IT IS A RACE AND READ TO PASS THE XAMINATION,,mazay baad mein lena”
And in any case, CSS is central superior services, the most prestigious examination in Pakistan for the most prestigious job and the “idiots” are not supposed to do it.